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T O P I C R E V I E W

SpaceDust

I’ve have made two sets of decals and experiencing the same problem with both sets. After soaking for about 30 seconds, when I start to take them out of the water they start to deteriorate. Before I can even get them out of the water I have a dish full of fragments. Is this because the decal sheet was too old to start with? The decal sheets are less than two years old and I didn’t experience any problems with them when I first used them in mid 2012. Any suggestions?

Thanks for any help.

garymilgrom

It does sound like the sheets have dried out. Were they stored in a warm place that may have done this? Maybe some more experienced model makers will chime in.

GrantV

It could be due to age or where the decals were stored. Try overspraying the actual decal sheet with Future (or Johnson's Klear, or whatever they call it these days). Give it time to dry before soaking the decal and attempting to apply. I have done with this with exceptionally thin decals, and this has prevented them from fracturing when applied.

Edit: Upon re-reading, I see that they are non-commercial decals but self-printed. Most of that decal film is notoriously thin. The Future/ Klear should help hold the decal film together.

SpaceDust

Thanks for the replies guys. The sheets were printed on a laser printer and sprayed with a clear coating more than a week ago. The paper has been kept in a dark damp basement. Just how long can decal paper be stored before something like this starts happening? Do you have any more advice?

GrantV

The damp part may be the problem. I have decal paper that has been stored in a dry, dark location for a couple of years, and have not had a problem with it.

Is it possible to get new decal paper and try that? It may be worth it in time saved and aggravation avoided.

Retro Rocket

Your clear coat isn't thick enough. Try at least three generous coats. I use Krylon Matte Finish, clear also works good. Just watch out for runs.

sev8n

quote:Maybe some more experienced model makers will chime in.

Old/suspect decals can be coated with a liquid decal film designed to prevent old decals from fracturing. This link is to the most commonly recommended decal film: Microscale Liquid Decal Film

SpaceDust

I want to thank everyone for their help and suggestions. I added more coating to the decals and that seemed to help a great deal. But, even after adding several more coats I still experienced deterioration when applying the decals. I’ve come to the conclusion the paper is older than what I believed they were to start with. No telling how long they sat on the hobby shop’s shelf before I purchased them.